Israeli settlers attack European diplomats, beat French mayor in the occupied West Bank

Israeli settlers attacked a convoy of European diplomats in the occupied West Bank and beat up a visiting French mayor, witnesses said, a day after settlers beat an American journalist as violence escalates ahead of bitterly fought elections.

The 78-year-old mayor said masked settlers yelled defamatory comments about France, kicked him and hit him with iron bars as he joined Palestinian olive farmers in the West Bank alongside the top French and Belgian representatives in Jerusalem and Polish diplomats.

"I think that if settlers are behaving like this, there is a tolerance on the part of the Israeli government," Bernard Baudoux, mayor of the northern French town of Aulnoye-Aymeries, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) after he was attacked.

"The whole world needs to know what's happening," he said. "For me, I'll go back to my country, and everything will be fine. Those who continue to suffer the most are those who are here."

Baudoux, who was wearing a sash with the French tricolour, was seen collapsed on the side of the car after the attack, but he did not need hospital care.

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in a statement that Israel must "urgently halt criminal violence" and arrest those responsible for attacking Baudoux, with his Belgian counterpart issuing a similar call.

The attack came just one day after settlers beat an American photographer for The Washington Post , who was in moderate condition on Saturday after suffering broken vertebrae.

Israel's foreign ministry condemned the attack on the diplomats, and Israeli police promised to open an investigation.

But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking to shore up support from the fiercely pro-settlement far-right in the 27 October election, instead alleged a "smear" campaign against settlers.

His main rival in the elections, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, strongly criticised Netanyahu over the violence, saying it was "burning away the little legitimacy the State of Israel still possesses".

The attacks are "Jewish terrorism, under the auspices of the Israeli government", Eisenkot said.

Israel’s military, in a statement, confirmed the attack on the diplomats and called it a “severe act of violence”.

Foreign minister Gideon Saar on X condemned the "severe acts of violence by Israeli rioters", adding that his ministry was in contact with ambassadors from the countries concerned.